Inkjet recording apparatus with tank and method therefor including notification features

Abstract

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a tank forming an ink chamber and including an injection inlet, a recording head, a cover, a monitor, a cover sensor, an operation panel, and a controller. The controller controls operation of the recording head and the monitor. The controller performs decision processing deciding whether ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is completed, and counts an amount of ink discharged from the recording head. The controller controls the monitor to display notification depending on the decision processing and the counted amount of discharged ink.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising:
 a tank forming an ink chamber and including an injection inlets; 
 a recording head configured to discharge ink from the ink chamber to record an image on a sheet; 
 a monitor, and 
 a controller configured to control operation of the recording head and the monitor, wherein the controller is configured to:
 perform decision processing deciding whether ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is completed, the initial process corresponding to filling a flow path from the ink chamber to the recording head with ink; 
 count an amount of ink discharged from the recording head; 
 based on decision that the ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is not completed and based on the counted amount of discharged ink being greater than or equal to a first threshold value, perform a first notification process corresponding to controlling the monitor to display first notification on the monitor; and 
 based on decision that the ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is completed and based on the counted amount of discharged ink being greater than or equal to a second threshold, perform a second notification process corresponding to controlling the monitor to display second notification on the monitor and the second threshold is greater than the first threshold value. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first notification including a prompt of ink injection into the ink chamber. 
     
     
       3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the second notification including a prompt of ink injection into the ink chamber. 
     
     
       4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the first notification and the second notification are same. 
     
     
       5. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the controller includes a memory including an initial flag area configured to store either first value or a second value based on whether ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is completed, the first value being stored before the ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process and the second value being stored after the ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process; and 
 wherein, in the decision processing, the controller is configured to decide whether the ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is completed based on whether the first value or the second value is stored in the initial flag area of the memory. 
 
     
     
       6. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the ink chamber is configured to be injected through the injection inlet with ink from a bottle that contains ink having a prescribed refilling amount; and
 wherein the second threshold value is greater than the refilling amount. 
 
     
     
       7. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the ink chamber includes both an outlet through which ink flows out of the ink chamber and a recessed part forming a recessed space in the ink chamber, the outlet is located at a bottom portion of the ink chamber, the outlet is located in the recessed space and the recessed space having a prescribed volume; and
 wherein the first threshold value is less than the second threshold value by the prescribed volume. 
 
     
     
       8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising an operation panel configured to receive user input; and
 wherein the controller is configured to further perform, after performing the first notification process, inquiry process corresponding to controlling the monitor to display inquiry information on the monitor regarding whether ink injection into the ink chamber is completed and controlling the operation panel to allow the receipt at the operation panel of a response to the inquiry information. 
 
     
     
       9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to perform, based on receipt of one response to the inquiry information in the inquiry processing, decision that the ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of the initial process is completed,
 wherein the one response is corresponding to completion of the ink injection. 
 
     
     
       10. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to further perform, based on receipt of the one response, initializing the counted amount of discharged ink. 
     
     
       11. The inkjet recording apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of ink chambers a plurality of injection inlets, each of the plurality of ink chambers associated with a different one of the plurality of injection inlets. 
     
     
       12. A method for controlling operation of an inkjet recording apparatus with an ink tank, the method comprising:
 performing decision processing deciding whether ink injection into an ink chamber of the ink tank including an injection inlet after complement of an initial process is completed, the initial process corresponding to filling a flow path from the ink chamber to a recording head of the inkjet recording apparatus with ink; 
 counting an amount of ink discharged from the recording head; 
 based on decision that the ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is not completed and based on the counted amount of discharged ink being greater than or equal to a first threshold value, performing a first notification process corresponding to controlling a monitor to display first notification on the monitor; and 
 based on decision that the ink injection into the ink chamber after complement of an initial process is completed and based on the counted amount of discharged ink being greater than or equal to a second threshold, performing a second notification process corresponding to controlling the monitor to display second notification on the monitor and the second threshold is greater than the first threshold value.